The problem with political jokes is they get elected - Henry Cote
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Digital Economy Bill passes the UK House of Lords
THE HOUSE OF LORDS has passed the controversial Digital Economy Bill, amendment inclusive, that imposes on Internet service providers (ISPs) the duty of enforcing copyright protection punishments on filesharing consumers - whether they like it or not.
The third reading of the Digital Economy Bill took place yesterday at the Other Other Place and has come to pass and with a quasi-unanimous approval in the House of Lords. The long and short of it being that it "imposes obligations on Internet service providers to reduce online copyright infringement, and allows the Secretary of State to amend copyright legislation to the same end."
The controversial bill has sparked criticism from a broad spectrum of the public - whether they were concerned parents or human rights advocates - and a small pocket of said Lords who, by inherent duty or genuine concern, could believe the Bill's real target to be litigious income.
Through this Bill ISPs will enforce sanctions on subscribers without the need for a court injunction, meaning you might see your broadband subscription messed up in any manner of ways, be it cancelled, capped, bottlenecked, shaped or simply slapped with a discretionary fine for your supposed galivanting. The original text didn't even consider warning subscribers ahead of any ISP action or court injunction.
Of course the Internet is a tool of the young... and foolish, most of the time, so regardless of the fact that the Bill stampedes over consumer rights and - to some extent - basic human rights, it's the parents, that is, the account holders, who will pay the price for their childrens' indiscretions.
From the top, the Bill grants Ofcom powers of supervision and imposes on the ISPs the duty of enforcing copyright protection, all in the name of the Rights owners who will, in essence, have both private and public parties doing their work for them.
Some opponenets are still attempting to previail, with Coadec, the Open Rights Group and the Pirate Party UK all arguing that the flames of copyright infringement have been steadily fanned by baseless speculation on how much the industry has suffered, with parties throwing around numbers that are, at best, extrapolated from speculation and currently rated at a whopping £200 million a year.
In the Lords, the argument was made against the rampant disregard for Consumer rights. Lord Whitty tore into the proposal knowing full well he was standing alone, brave but ultimately futile. The Chair of Consumer Focus dished out argument after argument against a Bill that would effectively serve only the purpose of guaranteeing income to copyright owners and lawyers, all the while not promoting the development of new business models that would bring infractors back into the fold.
Ironically the Bill's staunchest advocate is the Lib-Dem Peer, Lord Clement-Jones, who seems to be costing the party more votes than he's worth by promoting the Bill.
The Pirate Party UK, one of the most public challengers to the Bill's "virtuous intent", has even pointed out that Lord Clement-Jones is a lawyer by profession and that he is in the business of making money out of these situations.
Adding to the public's concerns, the Bill stands to go through Commons un-amendable, meaning that the writing on the Bill is final. We're looking at what the Law will become.
We can't help but remark the following: My Lord, a 48-clause Bill with 430 amendments doesn't mean it's had a "fair amount of scrutiny", it means it was so abominably drafted in the first place that it had to be challenged that much.
You can read the UK's execrable soon-to-be Digital Economy Bill here. µ
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@JGeek
you could say its a 'special relationship' akin to 'honour among thieves' but instead of thieves its bloodthirsty warpigs and cash loving scammers with no honourable charactersitics at all.
a waste of air and cells
And here I was thinking the US Congress was really screwed up. My heart goes out to the Brits.
Happy St. Patricks Day!
Yup. Absolutely right.
And if you lift a finger to oppose them, youre a "terrorist".
One law for them...
...is done for. And I guess nobody will lift a finger. Then they will end up in jail and still nobody will lift a finger.
After some time it will be normal/acceptable to go/be in jail for such a idiotic reason. But for murder or theft almost nothing.
They (you know who) are laughing at you right in your face and you are taking it, right now.
they make the rules so they can do what the hell they like - with our money!
the general publics concerns have never been considered so why change now?
they are unscrupulous scum with a bitter desire for cash in place of a conscience
Governments are undemocratic and corrupt [fullstop]
The bigger they get, the easier it is for them. And the more reliant and dependent society is !!forced!! to be on them, the worse they can get away with.
http://www.infowars.com/invisible-empire-all-conspiracy-no-theory/
http://www.redicecreations.com/
At some point in time in the future do you ever think people will in general wake the fuck up? And stop being taken for dumb ass sleeping sheep walkers going through life, like idiots oblivious to the corruption and scum running the show, and hijacking anything sort of movement that tries to put a stop to them. They cause the problems, and they always have the solution that best suites them, ever wonder why? You're living in oppression and tyranny and worst of all most don't even know it.
Makes me smile to think of the brown envelopes that passed behind closed doors an under tables to push the bill forward so quicky then again since the exspense scandal those poor guys down in the house of commons have hade it hard'someones pocket got lined :) that's for shure
Actually makers things easier, so instead of getting sued from the getgo I get three warning letters....thanks guys....don't think that will happen in my lifetime considering I use both IP block lists and a VPN.
Up yours Mandelson.
(comments posted as always from behind my faithful VPN)
A bill of rights, yes we have one of those, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_Rights_1689
But parliament does not think that this is about personal freedom or freedom of speech or consumer rights or anything else. They see it as protecting rich corporations from the criminal classes who want to free load off of these honest, hard working campaign fund contributors. As Mandy's mantra goes, The working class can kiss my arse, I've got the foreman's job at last.
The DEB has all but ignored photographers - be they pro or amateur, and the implications of this bill are serious. It will have a huge impact not only on the professional lives of many photogs already struggling to make a living, but also on the use of photography by the NFP and Charity sectors, and by private individuals who could find their images used without their knowledge or permission. The Government management of this Bill has been undemocratic from the start.
Peerblock, they can't link anything to your IP.
If they get lucky using an IP not yet updated to the banlist and you get your first letter, use a proxy.
Job done.
It might influence speeds cause you won't get so many computer illiterate seeders, but they aint gonna shut it down.
Would be helpful if your country adopted a Bill of Rights. Something that gives personal freedom as a right vs thing to be floated here and there at whim.
I love it how everyone accuses the USA of being a tyrant.
being so easy to hack wep encryption, sounds like a good way to get back at lawyers and such by jumping on their wireless and downloading all kinds of goodies. maybe if you know some politicians address whom you hate, you might target them. :P
If this mess goes through, expect kids and grannies in court, expect a massive backlash against the MAAFIA, and expect it to get shot down by the European Courts, with no effect on file sharing, and a massive increase in obfuscation and encryption.